Between Friends
by Koakuma Tsuri
Summary: 66/100: Misfortune. Kunsel was a man who knew what he wanted and had the perfect means to get it. Kunsel/Genesis. Implied S/G and A/G. Yaoi. Pre-CC.


66/100:Misfortune. Kunsel/Genesis. Implied Sephiroth/Genesis.  
Kunsel is scary and should be locked away. I love him. Anyway, there's a reference to Karadin's 'See You In September' in this, which I suggest you go read. After this, of course 8D Or before, I don't mind, as long as this gets read. D8

Disclaimer - Characters are not mine. Kunsel owns all your souls. You just don't know it yet.

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Misfortune**

Between Friends

_Settle down, I'm going to be some time._

Blue eyes scanned the text message over and over again from the small screen of the standard black phone he held in his hand, almost in the hope that the reason why and a time would leap out of the screen at him. After 20 times, the message stubbornly remained the same.

Genesis sat at the bar, nursing a tempestuous mood that bounced between anxiety, impatience and irritation over a tall glass of green liquid, smelling strongly of an apple that was not Banora White. He tried to force his anger into this fact, rather than blame Sephiroth for being held back at work - probably because precious little Rufus had a splinter in his finger… or something equally as tedious.

It annoyed him; the one time he any put in any extra effort to look presentable (more so than the usual hour-long preening reached), and set up a nice evening in a quiet, suave bar, ShinRa had to ruin it. It implied to him that they, somehow, had found about their top SOLDIERs' relationship and were doing all they could to subtly prevent it.

It wasn't too hard to know of their coupling: they did make a very poor job of concealing it outside of the ShinRa building. What friend would dress up as Genesis did - tight black, butter soft jeans and a crimson silk shirt, loose to his chest - just to go out drinking after work? And then there was the incident when one of the neglected children of one of their female fans ran into them in a back-alley of sector 8. Genesis recalled, smiling, at the small boy's head tilting, confused at just how a man could lift a leg that high in leather trousers.

Another glass slid under his azure gaze. It had his eyes watering from the strength; the promise of a sweet release from his anxiety until his lover rolled in, spotless and no doubt still in his uniform. He glanced to the side, meeting with nothing but shaped, gleaming metal. Looking down, the man was still in his entire Second Class uniform, sword strapped across his back.

Kunsel grinned at Genesis' bemused expression, ignoring the habitual animosity for anyone that wasn't Sephiroth or Angeal in his bright blue eyes. "I'm still on duty, before you ask, but the security department seem more than content to take care of that for me."

He turned back to his drink with a curt hum of agreement. Every patrolling SOLDIER had been there. The rants about payment and whom the children idolised were something that every trooper seemed oh-so-enthusiastic to give. And then throw challenges that they never had a hope in hell of winning. Genesis had no sympathy for pathetic men trying to be something they weren't.

"So, you've got a date?" Kunsel asked, finally taking a seat and drinking from his own glass. The touchiness of the subject had Genesis glaring from the corner of his eye, tempted to report the Second Class to Lazard for drinking whilst on duty, but the liquid in the glass was clear. Water.

Sighing, Genesis simply swigged and mumbled "Something like that." Keeping his tone flat, he hoped the other man would just go away. For common courtesy the drink had to be accepted, but a conversation was an undesirable addition. Especially when on the subject of--

"He's stood you up? Or just kept back at work?" Kunsel started to laugh as Genesis' glare heightened to a fiery glower, one that could cast death in an instant – if he had anywhere to conceal that materia in his choice of casual wear. "C'mon, I'm not an idiot. Everyone knows about you and the general. Apart from the executives, of course. They wouldn't recognise courting if… well, even seeing the two of you screwing like bunnies over the President's desk would-"

Genesis coughed loudly, effectively silencing the talkative SOLDIER. They were still in a public place… with ears. Averting his eyes to the faux-wood bar surface, Genesis took a mouthful from the drink given to him by the night's companion. He'd been caught in this trap before, their relationship having the subtlety of a herd of chocobos stampeding through ShinRa building's main hall. He couldn't help the way he looked at Sephiroth, even on duty, though it wasn't that which gained attention as everyone threw the general come-hither glances – it was the fact that Sephiroth shot them back. And all the other times a SOLDIER, civilian or Turk approached him, he'd play coy. But Kunsel was not like that.

"You certainly have a wild imagination," the redhead muttered. The green liquid swished about in the clear glass inches before his face, held in an idle hand. "I'm sure that's something you'd pay a month's wages to see."

"A month's? A year for a recording of it as well?" came the sincere reply, eventually cracking into a smile when Genesis downed the glass in its entirety, slamming it back down on the bar as he laughed. Kunsel watched as he readjusted his shirt around his neck, trying to hide the extent of his amusement. It wasn't professional.

"Seph's a little camera-shy."

"Thank Gaia you're not, huh? Otherwise the cadets would have nothing to drive them on." Kunsel sidled a little closer, signalling to the barman for another. "It's an incentive to strive to improve when they see how training and mako affects the body. Yours as an example. No ordinary man could lift his legs as high as you do, or even do the things that you can do."

As long as Kunsel was spouting insinuations, comments and compliments, Genesis would let him continue. He could block out words; words were a dozen a penny and surmounted to nothing. If he wanted to present something on paper or celluloid, it would be a different matter, but fantasies were as threatening as a tipsy Angeal wielding a feather duster… actually, that was particularly ominous and had Genesis' cheeks dusting over a little pink. Quickly shaking his head to dispel a replaying memory, he rejoined the conversation at hand. It was best not to give Kunsel something else to work with.

"I did gymnastics as a child. I've always been lithe."

Kunsel hummed in accordance and sipped for a few moments intermittently. If his eyes had been visible, Genesis was sure he would know the glaze that was a painted veil over them. Though he'd known for years, either rightly or wrongly, that he was a prominent player in every dream dreamt by those who didn't chase around after skirts like gormless dogs, nothing flared up his ego quite like seeing it first hand.

Then again, Kunsel was hardly 'just another guy'. Kind and friendly, he seemed a little too soft to be a SOLDIER, but he definitely had skills of determination and resourcefulness… which led to many reaching the assumption that he obtained the rank of Second Class with blackmail rather than physical strength. It was unspoken knowledge within SOLDIER that this man had something on everyone, whatever it be. So when the man was quiet, it could mean one of a few things: that he was just fantasising, or he was putting together a portfolio of evil.

A change of topic, jumping out of the hot seat, was desperately needed.

"So, how about you? Spoken to that Cadet you've been eyeing over for the last month?" Genesis asked. The curiosity in his voice was lost completely under the lingering frustration of Sephiroth's lack of appearance. In his jeans pocket, his left hand fumbled with his phone, summoning another text message if only he could, something like '_Meet me out back now_' would be appreciated. No vibration or chimes in the silence followed his utterance – no such luck.

Kunsel seemed a little disgruntled at the sudden spotlight being swung onto him, surprised at the strength of it, never having experienced it before. The awkwardness seemed to almost make him feel a little remorseful for glaring it at everyone for years. Maybe a little more pressing and he would drop his scandalous habits. Genesis smirked, eager to experiment.

"He…" A quiet clearing of the throat preceded the weakest voice Genesis had ever heard coming from a SOLDIER, far from the usual tone Kunsel usually adopted. Or maybe it was just a whisper that was warped by the helmet the man always wore. "He just wants to be friends."

Sighing, Genesis turned back to his drink. Didn't he know that excuse. Though, he also knew the way to work past it, twisting that platonic intention with his own attractiveness. It had worked perfectly the only two times he had tried, and neither Sephiroth or Angeal showed any signs of regretting losing their cool and ravishing the smirking redhead after weeks of relentless, non-stop, on duty as well as off teasing.

"Besides, he seems head-over-heels for Commander Hewley."

Genesis stiffened momentarily, eyes flaring bloody murder, before the situation slammed back into his head and he hoped Kunsel hadn't seen. But the masked man seemed to be busy finding something in one of the many equipment pockets in his uniform.

Sighing, Kunsel replied with an expression that was morphing from morose to… sinister. The kind of expression that could send shivers down Lazard's spine – supposedly squeaky clean – and he was the coolest, levelheaded man Genesis knew (Sephiroth having an icy temper). "Oh well, I have my means of getting all the action I need. From whomever I want."

Out of the corner of his eye, Genesis saw Kunsel drawing his hand out of his pocket, his index finger wrapped in a long string of scarlet silk, discoloured from old fluids. The colour drained from Genesis' face and he went to snatch the scanty undergarment but Kunsel stashed it back into those dark, untouchable recesses.

"Where did you get that?!" the Commander hissed under his breath.

A wider smile cracked on Kunsel's half concealed face. "The Materia room, soon after the general and yourself left."

"And why are you carrying it on you?"

"My, commander, surely you're not that naïve, especially with this taste in underwear." Kunsel stole a swig from Genesis' drink, wholly confident and boasting an easy victory. "Sephiroth won't be here for another hour so c'mon."

Genesis' eyes narrowed dangerously as he contemplated the skill it would take to dispose of the evidence quickly without Kunsel's knowledge. "What?" The single word couldn't have been spoken with more venom.

"He was easy; even a simple mention of the cat costume had him obeying me." Kunsel slid off his seat. His stance was one Genesis was more accustomed to see in a mirror. He held out his hand. "Shall we?"


End file.
